The Belize Energy Workers Union sent out a letter to the Prime Minister
today, pleading with him to intercede in a bitter labour dispute they are having
with BEL. According to the union, it is a grave and urgent matter, because management
is engaging in union busting practices. And indeed, BEL is laying off employees
for redundancy as they close down their generating plant on Magazine Road –
long known as the ice factory. And with that closure, jobs are being made redundant
but things got heated when two union members were fired this week. But Union
President Sean Nicholas says it doesn’t have to be that way. He told us
that even his job is on the line.
Sean Nicholas,
“The situation at BEL get to a stage where the employees are threatening
to walk off the job. The management of BEL keeps threatening employees, abusing
employee’s rights, disrespecting the union. In the union’s view
they are attempting to bust the union. That has escalated this week with BEL
retrenching two councils of the union and as far as I know I was called in to
the manager and he informed me that I am on the list.”
Union member,
“I am a part of the executive, I am a councillor, and we had shown
them areas where they could have placed people and they said they would look
at it but with the time they opted it, I feel that they weren’t interested
in placing anyone.”
Jules Vasquez,
So you were notified yesterday that...
Union member,
“Yap, yesterday.”
Jules Vasquez,
Now you’re a union executive member?
Union member,
“Yes I am a councillor and I’ve been working with the company
for 19 years.”
Jules Vasquez,
What’s that like leaving a job or being forced to leave a job after you’ve
given two decades, your youth?
Union member,
“Well I don’t really know what to say Jules. I don’t really
feel it because I expected it sometime the way management behave towards the
union so I thought at sometime it would have come.”
Sean Nicholas,
“The whole atmosphere of that collective agreement, harmonious relations
has been dashed right dah water by the company, management of the company. They
totally do not respect the union, totally do not respect the right of the employees,
employees are being threatened everyday that we have your money ready for you
if you ready to go today, we could send you today, that type of action Jules
is not a good atmosphere and we really need the Prime Minister to intervene
or put some kind of sanction on BEL and employers for this type of behaviour.”
According to BEL, the closure of plants started in 1990 and the union
was informed in 2005 that magazine road would be closed down. BEL says it kept
19 employees as the plant was closed.
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